Washer for blocking nuts



May 4 1926.- 1,583,015.

I L. SEEGER WASHER FOR BLOCKING NUTS Filed 001:. a, 1925i 2 Sheets-Sheet1 1&1.

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v L. .S'EEGER WASHER FOR BLOCKING NUTS med Oct. 9; 192a- 2 Sheets-Sheet24 1 :4 1 Hit} j; I I I v 1 1&

Patented May 4, 192%.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT o-F LnoroLn snnenn, or noonnron'r, BELGIITM.

WASHER ron BLOCKING NUTS.

7 Application filed October 9, 1923. Serial No. 667,569.

full, clear, and exact description ofthe in-,.

vention, such'as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference markedtherein, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to means for locl.-

. ing nuts and has for its object to prevent nuts on bolts from workingloose, especially thenuts on railway and tramway fishplate bolts.

Numerous devices have been proposedv and tried with a view to achievingthe purpose mentioned above; but, up to the present, none of thesedevices has given lasting results. One of the chief causes of. nuts working loose is the vibration to which the fastening is exposed, whilst itis often the result of the elongation of the bolt under the action ofshock and vibration; For instance, dished washers, rectangular orotherwise, have been proposed with the bolt hole eccentric thereof,'alsoa bowed strip of spring metal with the hole centrally thereof.

According to the invention there is inserted between the nut and thesurface against which it is to be tightened, a member which absorbsvibration and shock in such'a manner as to keep the nut always in theposition it occupied when tightened up. This member consistssubstantially of a flat spring the length of which is considerable ascompared with the dimensions of the nut and which is pierced by a holefor the passage of the stem of the bolt, said hole being eccentric, thatis to say, the two supporting arms of said flat spring are of unequallength and rest at their ends or effective ends only, on the surface ofthe object to be secured. The effect of this last condition is tosubject the nut to a reaction which is exerted in an oblique directionrelatively to the axis of the stem of the bolt, thus causing the nut toseize on said stem and still further hinder it from working loose. Theflexibility of said strip in the axial direction of the bolt, thusprevents the body of the bolt from stretching,-

' tightening up the arched portion of the washer playingthe part of ashock absorber. k I

The interposed flat springs may be varied .in profile, dimensions andshape, that'is ,to say, these members may vary in accordance with thebolts themselves and with the member to be bolted together.

inother object of the invention consists in providing such a stripwhichshall be easy to manufacture and of low cost. The

machining of this strip'may even consist of simple stamping withoutwaste of material especially if the flat spring be of 'a.rectan-, gularprofile, or a profile free from sharp reentrant angles, a form whichoffers greater strength than other constructional shapes. In fact suchre-entrant angles situated in close proximity to the hole'for thepassage of the bolt may have the effect oflweakening the stripinitssection perpendicular to said angles. i 1

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by wayfof example,several emvbodiments of the invention Figure 1 is a sectional-elevationof a bolt in positioncfor Figure 2 is a plan of the inserted strip; IFigure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 with the nut screwed home;Figures 4 and 5 shew in side elevation and plan respectively anotherform of the inserted strip; Figures 6 and 7 shew respectively a plan anda side elevation of a strip with rounded re-entrant angles;' Figures 8and 9 are similar views of a rectangular strip Figure 1O shews in side.elevation a strip with a curled tip; Figure 11 shews'in sec,- tionalside elevation and plan an application of the rectangular strip as aretaining member for a second boltvnut. 1 Referring to the drawings andmore especially to Figs. 1 to 3, 1 represents the stem of a bolt; 2 thenut,-3 the threaded part of the stem 1 on which nut engages. Between nut2 and the adjoining face of the part to be bolted, is imparted a'stripof tempered steel hole forthe passage of the stem 1. This hole is notsituated centrally in the longitudinal direction of the strip and thetwo supporting arms 4 and 4 of the same are therefore of unequallengths.

After the nut has been screwed home, the strip 4-. will be flattened asshown in Fig. 3; The springy strip 4 exerts an upward reaction againstthe under-face of the nut. On

or other suitable material pierced with a the other hand, owing to thedifference of length of the .two'bearing-arms i -+4 this stress isexerted obliquely tothe longitudinal axis of the stem 1 and locks thenut'some- What more or less obliquely upon the threaded part 3 of stem1." The strip et may be broadened at its ends where it @bears againstthe part to be fastened.

According to Figs. 5,and 14, the-strip titerminates at one end in aspirally coiled tail 4 an arrangement which increases theelasticity ofthe strip when the nut has been tightened up.

Referringto 'F igs-ti and '.7, strip l the two arms 43 and 4 of whichare of different lengths presents on each sideo1 :the bore, an increaseof Width; these wideningsare connected by more or less rounded angles tothe otheredgesof thestnip. This has the result of suppressing the linesof lower resistance produced in the strip with sharp inwardsan-gles, bythe sudden changes in the crosssection of the blade. 1 Y

- 'Wi'threterence to Figs. S-and 9,:the-spring strip is of rectangularoutline, the passagehole for the bolt being eccentrically bored, so thatthetwo arms 4 and 4 are of unequal length; this strip is bent up in theusual manner. As will be easily-understood, this rectangular shape isthe simplest form and the easiest to manufacture; the locking-actionhowever 'is-the same as that-ofthe strip having a complicated outline.

Fig. lOsho'ws a strip-in which a larger resiliency is obtained bybending one of the ends-in theshape of a: hook a This blade is similarto the one illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 ,"but except-thatthe sharpre-entrant angles are suppressed and the strip rests on a sharpedge at 4Referring -;to Fig. 11, the rectangular shaped spring-blade tis-simultaneously used to lock a'second bolt-nut, owing toone of itsarms abutting against one of the sides of such such nut; both nuts 5 and'6, when screwed home, being thus locked by one and the samespring-strip 4. c

From the foregoing, it will be evident that the interposition of anelastic strip between tained by the mounting, these influences beingabsorbed by the elasticity of the interposed strip. This flat spring maybe used I with any :kindo't nut and in cases where the surface againstwhich the nut is to be tight- .ened .is not largeienough to provide abearing for the spring 4, a bearing plateniay be interposed. Such is thecase for example with nuts on 3X16 ends.

Claims: I,

1. Means for preventing nuts from Working'loose, consisting ini-nterposing between the nut and the adjacent surface of the objectto besecured by bolting, an elastic strip the length of which is considerableas-compared withithe dimensions otthenutandthe two arms of which are ofunequal length and rest attheir ends only, on thesaid surface of theobject to be secured, said strip being curved in side elevation when inits normal state. I

2. Am elastic strip as claimed .inclaim 1, of a rectangular profileihaving uniform width throughout its length.

3. Means for simultaneously locking two nuts comprising an elastic stripas claimed in claim '1, the end of said strip abutting against one otthelateral 't-acesort the second nut.

4:. In a nut lock, :the 'co1nb ination with a 7 bolt adapted :to 'bearranged through a piece of workiand a nut threaded onthe bolt; oftlocking devicetormed from aslnglestrip of metal of rectangularconfiguration in plan and curved in sideielevation andof a lengthgreater than .the width ot the :nut and provided with an opening forengagement with the bolt leaving two arms on :the opposite sides ot theopening-of unequal length which When clamped into engagement Wltl1 thepiece of work by .thenut contact -'0n ly at their terminalswith-thepiece of Work,

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand. Y 4

Lucretia SEFEGER

